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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29597052">H: Scar Tissue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceversa/pseuds/viceversa'>viceversa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmates A-Z [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, I hope cyril comes back sometime, Soulmate AU, TW Anxiety / Heart Racing, heart attack mention</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:49:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,117</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29597052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceversa/pseuds/viceversa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's heartmate nearly kills her from halfway around the world, prompting her to make some changes. Then it happens again, while they're in the same room. <br/>-<br/>h...eartbeats (the soulmates share the same heartbeat—when one feels panicked, shocked, etc, the other can feel it too).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmates A-Z [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>H: Scar Tissue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Think back to after Gibbs was shot in the heart / knee and had a couple attacks where he collapsed in pain. Jack comes to NCIS in season 13 in this one. <br/>-<br/>This fic contains some dialogue from Season 13, episode 8.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Millions of adults a year wound up in Emergency Rooms around the world for a problem no one could treat: the racing of someone else’s heart. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a bond formed by ancient gods, romantic and tragic as they were. The legend states that the hearts of those perfect for each other were always connected, surviving from one generation to the next and beating as one, affecting the other across any space at the same time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Normally, this influence was hardly noticeable. Most people didn’t go around monitoring their heartbeat, taking any change as just a part of their day. Some struggled, trying to manage a slower heartbeat during the day as their soulmate slept, and others had the opposite problem. There was no way to predict which person had control to change at any given time and it was largely believed that the one in the state of greater change or crisis ultimately changed the heartbeat of the other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, not everyone subscribed to this explanation. Many people wrote it off as fancy, citing the change in heart rhythms to be normal and healthy. Others formed a near cult-like religion around it, dedicating their lives to finding their matches. Capitalism tried to profit, turning the idea of perfect heart-matches into multi-level marketing schemes and internet subscriptions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack fell somewhere in between. She thought it was a nice idea, and she’d seen enough proof to believe in it, but her life didn’t revolve around the idea. What was a soulmate, or heartmate, anyway? It was just someone to spend time with, to fall in love with. It was meant to be someone who totally understood you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought was alluring. Jack had been through hell and back, witnessing horror and living through torture. She’d made incredibly hard decisions, been heartbroken, and had built defensive walls around herself just in order to function. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She herself had felt a few dramatic changes in her heartbeat before, every few years since she was around 14. They always passed within a few hours, as if whoever was connected to her worked hard to regulate themself. Phantom emotion crossed over with a few episodes; panic, loss, nervousness, and even pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt for her person, whoever they were, but even in the intensity of the feelings she was happy to have someone connected to her. She was sure they felt everything she went through in Afghanistan, which made her feel just as bad, but that was the catch to the whole heartmate idea. There was no hiding a connection. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, when her heartmate sent her into cardiac arrest one day, she really didn’t have any control over what happened next. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack was working with a team in San Diego, trying to nail down a solid profile of a suspect when she felt it begin. It was a phantom jolt in her chest, a warning that had her attention almost immediately. She covered her heart with her hand and held still, completely distracted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sloane? You okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack barely had time to look up when the pain hit her, her heart beating rapidly and throwing off her ability to take a breath. She stood up suddenly, unable to think clearly, and the last thing she thought before collapsing was, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I hope they’re alright.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She became a statistic that year, one of the millions brought into an ER with no physical cause of her heart going out of control. By the time she was brought in and explained the situation, her heart had nearly stabilized and she felt silly for worrying, even as the thumping felt weak in her chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack was admitted for observation, and her team members were sent away with strict orders to keep working. There was a small wing in the hospital for heartmate-related issues, as there wasn’t much to do except wait and see if it resolved on its own. In rare cases, where the other person flatlines or has a full heart attack, it can cause real damage to the linked person and they can be revived even if the other person dies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Less than an hour later, she was idly watching her heart monitor when it flatlined. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the strangest sensation, a mind-body disconnect. Her brain was fully alert and aware for seconds as the alarm sounded and a team rushed in, but she couldn’t move her body. She still remembered the first shout of “Clear!” and the first jolt of electricity, the burn she associated with a hole in the desert and being chained to a table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They told her later that they lost her for a minute, that Jacqueline Sloane was legally dead before they were able to restart her heart. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had no way of knowing if her heartmate made it or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon after, Jack gets a call from her old friend Leon, offering her a job in DC. Something in her felt like it was the right move to make. Not only was it a change in career after a major medical issue, which could bring about positive emotions in general, she knew that her daughter worked in DC. Maybe this was her chance to make contact; to at least be close by. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two months to the day after her heart episode, Jack started work at NCIS. She’d felt nothing significant since then, which left her wondering whether or not her heartmate survived the ordeal they had gone through. She was sore for a while while recovering from being shocked and she didn’t know if what her heartmate was going through contributed to that or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Jack got to know her new coworkers. Leon introduced her to the teams personally, as well as Abby and the ME team in the basement. She starts consulting on lower level cases to begin with, not just to get her bearings in the new job but to take it easy as she felt stronger each day. Leon didn’t know the details, but he also hadn’t asked when she recommended the soft start either. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Weeks went by as she gained confidence both in her new position and physically, and she felt at home with the team. Gibbs had unofficially welcomed her with a fireplace steak, and she even gained the invitation to his monthly poker night after proving herself during a few cases. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first international case she consults on with Gibbs’ team involves a mess of stolen weapons and doctors without borders in South Sudan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was updating Bishop in the bullpen on what she found out about the tribes in that region when a man walked in. He nodded hello to McGee, who was on the phone, and walked to Bishop’s desk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dr. Taft,” Bishop welcomed, then introduced her to Jack. “This is Agent Sloane. Jack, Dr. Taft was the one to save Gibbs’ life after he was shot earlier this year.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack shook his hand. “Dr. Taft, great work on that, you’re much appreciated around here,” she said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He held up his end of the bargain too, and call me Cyril.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded and offered her first name as well. “Jack.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cyril turned to Bishop and asked about the ensign involved in their case, Joni Ryan. He’d obviously heard the woman was missing through the grapevine, and Jack could hear the barely concealed nerves in his voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Bishop didn’t know, he got jumpy, and Jack tried to calm him down, fulfilling her dual role as profiler and team shrink. “Cyril, this is still an ongoing investigation. There’s hope that she’s still out there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Or she could be one of the bodies downstairs,” he replied tightly. “Where’s Gibbs?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At his question, the man himself appeared. “Doc? What are you doing here?” Gibbs asked as he entered the bullpen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack flanked Cyril as he asked about the ensign again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Joni Ryan, is she alive?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gibbs bent over his desk, typing sporadically. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ensign Joni Ryan, she’s a surgical tech. Is she in autopsy or not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, no, she’s not,” Gibbs stood briefly to look at Cyril, then bent back down to keep up his one-fingered typing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You certain?” Cyril stressed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack watched as Jeanne Benoit and DiNozzo also entered the bullpen, making it nearly a full house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well yeah. Why, is she a friend of yours?” Gibbs asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A good one. We served together on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Daniel Webster</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Matter of fact, she assisted on your surgery.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gibbs looked up at that, his eyes going blank for a second as Jack imagined him remembering what happened. She’d only heard about it through other people’s conversations around the office and when the team referenced it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was getting crowded around Gibbs’ desk and she was focused on Cyril’s increasing agitation about the ensign, which is why she didn’t notice the sharp tug in her chest at first. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bishop re-introduced Dr. Taft to DiNozzo and she listened with amusement as Cyril ribbed Gibbs for missing check-ups. That fit with everything she knew about the man so far. Jack stepped closer to listen as Jeanne recognized Cyril, but her attention was soon focused inward as her chest felt pressure again, a twinge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took a deep breath and rubbed just above her heart, hoping that it meant her heartmate was still alive after all, and more importantly that they weren’t about to go into cardiac arrest again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack came back into focus when McGee announced he’d secured tickets on a cargo plane to South Sudan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, DiNozzo and I will meet up with Burley in South Sudan,” said Gibbs. “McGee, you and Bishop provide support from here, work with Sloane to narrow down the tribes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have a nice flight,” Jack joked, more than happy to stay off cargo planes for the rest of her career. Gibbs looked up and caught her eye, smirking at the comment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cyril protested the assignment. “Whoa, South Sudan? That’s rugged country for anybody, much less a guy six months out of major surgery!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Funny, I don’t recall asking,” said Gibbs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cyril rolled his eyes, obviously familiar with how stubborn the man could be. “Send me a postcard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jeanne interjected, wanting to tag along, but Jack was distracted again as her chest started to tighten. It felt like the beginning of a panic attack, or worse like she’d gone through months before. Her anxiety spiked, not helping the issue at all, and she stepped back toward Bishop’s desk to not be noticed even as her ears started to ring. It felt like a feedback loop, her own anxiety making the pain worse, contributing to the feeling even as she pushed it down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, to maybe help her heartmate get through this tangentially, but the pressure was turning into a sharp pain, like being stabbed from the inside out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her vision narrowed, and she could only see the team in front of her, crowding in around Gibbs’ desk, all with their back to her, all trying to take the other seat on the flight instead of Gibbs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay! Fine, fine, book her a seat. It’s okay, you can come!” Gibbs’ exasperated voice broke through her brain fog, the only thing she could hear. “Just make sure that…” The voice trailed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack stumbled back, bracing a hand on Bishop’s desk as the pain increased, and she tried to breathe but she couldn’t force anything in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jack, are you okay?” asked Bishop, finally looking up from her computer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A thud sounded at the same time, Gibbs sitting down hard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Boss!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack lost her fight with balance and fell forward onto her hands and knees, unable to breathe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gibbs!,” exclaimed Cyril. “Call 911!” he shouted to the team.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jack is down!” yelled Bishop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt Ellie come down to her side, only peripherally aware that something else was happening besides what was wrong with her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is going on?” yelled Tony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the last thing Jack heard before her world went black.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Waking up in a hospital for the second time in six months was just as unpleasant as the first. Before she opened her eyes, Jack could smell the antiseptic and feel the hard mattress underneath her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took stock of how she felt, almost surprised to feel almost totally normal. Her attack earlier had been severe enough to make her pass out and wind up in a hospital, but it seemed perfectly fine now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of Bishop hovering by her feet, a worried look on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ellie,” she said, only feeling a little groggy. “What happened?” She noticed that her bed was surrounded by curtains, which meant she was probably in the less intense heartmate wing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You had a heartmate attack in the bullpen,” she said, confirming what Jack already knew. “We had to call an ambulance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack sighed and closed her eyes. “Sorry to worry you guys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was scary, Jack, and everyone’s glad you’re okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bishop’s sentence hung in the air, an unspoken ‘but’ that caught Jack’s attention, and she wondered suddenly where the rest of the team was. She sat up in the bed and focused on Ellie, noticing her jumpiness remained. “What’s wrong?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jack… thing is, you collapsed at the same time as Gibbs. He’s okay, but you both were unconscious so we brought you here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack’s jaw dropped open at the implication - suddenly it all made sense. Gibbs was shot near his heart six months ago, the same time she first collapsed. The feeling of making the right decision to move to DC, how quickly Gibbs let her into his little family. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy cow. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The curtain at the foot of her bed was pushed aside, revealing a nurse with an iPad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s in the ICU, but it looks like he’ll be fine. Just thought you should know,” said Bishop, eyeing the nurse and leaving Jack to her privacy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack barely had a second before the nurse started talking, looking at her iPad the whole time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Agent Sloane, as I’m sure you’re aware you’ve suffered a heartmate attack. You’ve been diagnosed with this before?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, yes I have. Six months ago, my heart stopped.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We got your chart sent over from that hospital. I don’t see any signs of relapse or worsening condition, but we would like to keep you overnight as a precaution,” she said in a bored voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurse jumped slightly and finally looked up at her outburst. “Pardon?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um - no thank you. I uh, I know who my heartmate is, and he’s fine. He’s here, actually, and I would like to go see him, so I would like to be discharged, thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurse simply nodded and left, entirely uninterested in the situation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack’s thoughts spiraled - Gibbs was her </span>
  <em>
    <span>heartmate</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was completely insane, but it made sense on some weird level. She was so quick to trust him with her secrets, and he was willing to trust her in return. Gibbs was honest and loyal, a good man, a strong leader, a complete silver fox. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point she realized that she felt calm instead of anxious, and her heart monitor confirmed it, steadily beeping by her side just as she knew Gibbs’ was in the ICU. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later and she’s officially discharged against medical advice, but she couldn’t care less. She was nearly back to normal, more rattled than anything else, and the hour gave her time to gather her thoughts. She still had no idea what she would say to him when she saw him, but she knew she had to find him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had to ask directions to the ICU, but she found his room quickly by virtue of half his team loitering in the hallway. Jack suddenly realized that if Bishop had connected the dots, they all had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wordlessly, Bishop and Ducky parted and motioned her through the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cyril was just wrapping up his vitals check on a sleeping Gibbs, and he turned and welcomed her with a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jack, good to see you up. You both gave us quite a fright for a minute there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack walked closer to the bed and had a hard time taking her eyes off of Gibbs. “Yeah, me too. Is he gonna be okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re running every test we can think of, but the short answer is yes. I’m suspecting some rogue scar tissue caused the attack, and it was likely exacerbated by the heartmate feedback loop. His vitals have been strong since he got here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack nodded and managed to tear her eyes away from Gibbs’ face, moving them up to meet Cyril’s knowing look. Suddenly self-conscious, she tried to fill the silence. “I bet you haven’t seen something like this before, huh doc? Heartmates finding out about each other so dramatically, and with an audience?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor laughed. “Stranger things have happened, Jack, believe me, but this was definitely on the list.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just can’t believe I didn’t put it together - I know I must have seen the date he was on your table in his file. I guess it just slipped past me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I’m happy to see you made it through that ordeal, Jack. We almost lost him, which probably meant he almost lost you, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shrugged and moved a step closer to Gibbs’ side, not wanting to linger on that day. “They did lose me for a minute,” she confirmed quietly. “But I’m glad I made it too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cyril closed the case on the iPad he was holding and left the room, leaving her alone with Gibbs. She let out a sigh and turned back to her heartmate and jumped when she saw him looking back at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gibbs?” she breathed. He must have been faking for at least part of that conversation, the bastard. He looked good, though, like he could walk out of there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Feel like I should apologize, Sloane,” he said, his voice rough from sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You already killed me once, Cowboy, don’t break a rule on my account now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smirked, dropping his smile quickly. “Ah hell, Jack. ‘M still sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack reached out and met his hand halfway, squeezing it tightly. “Hell of a way to meet you, Jethro, halfway around the world and you knocked me out cold.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Been told I make an impression on women.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack chuckled softly, caught off guard at the tears building in her eyes. “I’m glad it’s you, Gibbs,” she said instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tugged her down gently, just wanting her closer, and she followed through. Her free hand came up to his chest, hovering slightly over his heart and then pressing down, feeling the steady thump of it matching her own</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Jeanne Benoit? Really?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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